Just a quick tip to save a little money this summer on snacks. I know I always love to cut corners and save when I can so I thought I would share one quick and easy way I save on Jello and Pudding Snacks. Its also fun to involve your kids when making them!
You will need:
Diamond Cups
Jello Mix
Pudding Mix
Storage Tote
These are AWESOME
And they are what I use to make the snack cups with!! I found mine at Walmart in the paper plate section.
Goodness, this is so EASY!
Ok so whip up a batch of Jello or pudding, or BOTH....
Line up your cups.....
Fill um up.....
Stack um up......
Put them in a storage tote that can easily fit into your fridge.....and... BAM! Money Saved and quick easy access for kids! Grab n Eat!!
OH! Almost forgot!! If you really really want to save... tell the kids to keep the cups and you can just recycle by using them again!! The bigger kids, (like me) like to eat like 2 or 3 since they are small cups but for the little kids, they are perfect size!
I do not usually spend this much in a week like.... EVER... But This week I got a lot of school supplies on clearance- if you are looking to stock up on paper, notebooks, pens, etc... OH AND PRINTER PAPER! Now is the time. Prices on these things will not be this low again until next year at this time.
WALMART
First up is walmart. I went here a few times but this go round included-
8 mini notepads
4-16 color water colors
8 pencil boxes
5 crayon boxes
21 glue sticks TOTAL $5.61
DOLLAR TREE
I only went here for clothes pins.... whoops.
TOTAL
$11.00
TARGET
2 nets full of erasers
4 notebook paper
2 paint dishes
6 packs stickers
2 double sided tape
1 mini dry erase markers
$7.00
WALMART TRIP 2
Ok I am lazy and don't feel like listing everything - The pictures speak for themselves
Total
$12.00
Score of the Week: Thrift store !!
I saw these on the side the building and out of curiosity, just wanted know how much they were. The people didn't even know this was out there! So they told me to take it because they all were really dirty and needed to be cleaned and pressure washed..... I would be doing them a favor by taking it.... GOD is GOOD.
Attention Everyone.... if you are not a thrifty shopper- I hope this changes your outlook!
I went to the thrift store today with History Books or anything Rain Forest related in mind.This months Calendar time is focused on Rain Forests. I am also in the process of building my own History Curriculum to use for this year!....... Well to my surprise----->SCORE!!! Retail for the following would have been $110.... Wait until you see what I paid!!
Retail $13.00
I have no clue what the retail value of this Book is. I looked it up and since it is from 1991... and its beat up, in its current state not too much but brand new I am sure this book was at least $40.00. Why did I get a book from 1991? A. Its about our state and B. I USED THIS EXACT BOOK IN MIDDLE SCHOOL!! So funny :P Looking back, I never would have thought I would be buying, a book I hated back in the day, for my kids--- hahaha.... Oh how things change! And then C. I want to build our little homeschool library full of different kinds of books for learning.. So the date nor the OUTER condition of this book was a big deal to me the inside is all in tact!
Brand New $40
So of course I got the boys something..... because, I know I know ... like they need new toys???? BUT well, it was HAWT! Not like HOT but HAWT!!! Like seriously my van needs Freon, So no air condition I am rolling with the windows down - and let me just be real-I am a BEAST in the heat - For REAL- Do not mess with me when I am hot, my kids know when momma is hot its almost as if Satan literally manifests, No I am not proud of it - Do not judge me ... I'm sure if I asked your kids- Where are they?? You know you got your Satan button too! But it is what it is and I am just so thankful I am, God willing, going to HEAVEN! Real feel today is 110 degrees and and I wanted them to be sweet and I was trying to look through things and I wanted them to listen and I like to spoil them if I can.... so ... my answer was YEPpppppppp....... GET IT ! It was so cute, and well worth my justifications for more toys, to see them crawling on their knees playing firetrucks when we got home!
I'm just going to guess new these would be about $5 or more
Brand new 3 hole punch?!?!?!?! Ughgh YES!
Retail $16.00
Then I saw this little kit that looked like it would be neat! Its called Brilliant Beginnings' "Toddler Next Step Parent Kit" includes a Guidebook detailing how a toddler develops, hundreds of daily activities, an Activities Toy Guide, a Toddler Rhythm and Rhymes* Music CD, and a copy of "Emily's Best Day Ever" matching pictures book. What the heck ... I think it was like 25 CENTS!
Retail $30.00
SO WHAT DID I PAY!!!!
$3.26 well spent I would say! :) Thanks for checking out my deals... Happy Thrifting! And Remember..........
I am not sure if this will be an every week thing or not but when I find a great deal, I will be sharing! This week was awesome and could not wait to share it with you. I spent a grand total of $20.25. Just wait until you see what I got~!!
Deal 1: Craigslist
I started out with scoring a great deal on Craigslist. I had been wanting one of these Fisher Price Counting Pigs for Cowboys Tot Trays for a while now. I also knew Butter would enjoy playing with it too. They are $25.00 brand new and I was not about to pay that, so when this one listed for $5 on Craigslist.. SCORE!!! I can't wait to start using it to teach the concept of money, counting, sorting and colors! Isn't he so cute!!
Deal 2 : Facebook Local Page
My town has a local Facebook page where you can sell, buy, swap or search for items on the page. This week we are doing E is for Elephant in Tot School. While preparing for the week I was wishing I had the Elefun game because it would be so cool to have for free play. Well I searched online on all my regular sites and thrift stores and then I remembered the local page. I had never posted an ad on the page "seeking" something before so, I wasn't sure how long I would have to wait for a response. Well, within 2 hours of the post, a lady contacted me and told me she had one in her garage sale pile, and for me to bring her $5 and it was mine :) I was real excited! While she was getting it ready, she came across Pop the Pig. I remembered seeing a commercial for it and thought, "how dumb." She brought it when we met up and I literally laughed out loud. I had to get it too. It was super silly but my kids would love it. I am not quite sure what the educational value of this game will be other than, don't eat 16 hamburgers or you will POP! Just kidding, the burgers are colored, numbered, and you have to count each time you feed him. I am now realizing, YOU CAN MAKE ANYTHING EDUCATIONAL! It was $5 also. I would totally recommend you to look and see if your town has a local page, if not, You should start one ! I have sold a few things through it and now have had the experience of searching and buying something. You never know, there may be something you have been wanting that someone else has stored away, just waiting for you to scoop it up!
Deal 3: Thrift Store
Can I just say I love thrift stores! You can find so many treasures in a thrift store. Especially if you are like me and are always looking for things to make learning fun. I went to a thrift store about 2 weeks ago and got a bunch of books for school and a brand new Street Car Rug for the boys to drive their cars on and only spent $4 for all of it. Well this week I went in looking for one thing in particular, a brown basket, which I did find... and ... yeah well...a few other things.
I love the fact that all my kids, as of right now, love books; reading them, looking at pictures or being read to. So I, of course, in an effort to keep them interested in them, had to look through the books and WOW! I found some great ones!
I also found this neat game called Atlas to use for Geography. Then I saw this Mancala thing. Opened it up and it had the COOLEST wooden sorter thing full of different colored stones. Honestly, I could have cared less what the game was about I wanted this wooden sorter! It says $3 but I got it for $1.
My total was $4. So what about the other $1.25? Well, Lou was at VBS when I made this trip. When I went to pick her up, she saw the little brown basket I got for Butter and I was BUSTED! She was a little upset that I went thrifting without her.... She then decided to inform me that she TOO had been wanting a brown basket JUST like it, (My thoughts were something like: yeah?!?! for what, who knows... I mean seriously? Its a brown basket !! Jealous Much?) Even though I had those thoughts, I am a sucker and told her that there was another one there just like it and we could stop by there on the way home so she could get it. She is a little spoiled... Just a little though. (The littlest things make Lou happy, I love that about her.) It cost a whole 25 cents. So we went in to get it, and on the way to check out I noticed they had put out another one of those wooden Sorter things!!! So I snatched it up! Total $1.25 :)
FINAL: CURBSIDE!
I am not so sure this is a deal or what.... I am thinking it is, mainly because it was free, so even if we cant use it, we weren't out of pocket. My husband gets credit for these. He had to run out to the store one night and saw 3 of these on a curb and picked them up thinking we could do something cool with them. He can find a use for anything. Although that "cool idea" has not entered our brains yet. Honestly, I am not even sure what these things are. They look like Drying Hangers that you throw your clothes over, but I don't know. If you DO know, please share! Also if you have any ideas, please share. In the meantime I will be trying to figure out what to use them for. I will keep you posted :)
Your turn! Go out and be thrifty and make sure to come back here and share your "Steals of Deals!"
Unlike most women that I know, I honestly hate shopping with a passion, and like to get in and out of stores as quickly as I can!! But if there is one thing I love, and will keep me in a store, its finding a good BARGAIN! I try to save and and look for the best prices on everything I buy. I mean why pay retail if you don't have to?! I'm talking Coupons, Clearance, Craigslist, Ebay, Garage Sales, Auctions, Thrift stores, I just love getting what our family calls, "Steals of Deals". Some people might call it being cheap, well I don't consider myself to be cheap, just smart. I would like to think my momma taught me well. "Train up a child in the way she should go and when she is older, (and a mom herself) she will not depart from it!!"(proverbs 22:6) Thanks Mom, you did a great job in that area :)
I had been watching craigslist for a while for some sensory tables, or another name would be sand/water tables. I hadn't looked in a day or so and my "awesome" friend (mommy+work=me) told me she had just bought one for her daughter, and it reminded me to look. So I got on CL and there were two different tables on there. I emailed the lady and she was the owner of both!! They used one for water and one for sand, which is what I was wanting to do. One was $10 and the other was $5. I went to pick them up and just couldn't believe I scored 2 for $15 total. Here they are in action!
Today I went to Kmart, looking for a Doctor Kit for Lou. She is a huge fan of the old show Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman. . So she is going through this "I want to be a doctor phase" and likes to play doctor and has been wanting some Dr. Tools, which may fizzle out over time but right now, my kid wants to be a DR! So believe me when I say I am not trying to discourage this phase and I am totally willing to find her some Dr tools ! I have found some online but I wanted to see if I could find some in a store first. Well it was a no go :( but while I was there, I found some (just kidz brand) tinker toys ( the cheapest I have ever found tinker toys. They were $20 (not on sale or clearance price) and I was willing to pay that since they had all the pieces and like I said, cheapest I have found. So, as I was browsing I saw a lot of other toys that had been marked down and on top of that would be an additional 50% off. I need to point out that my kids do not need toys. They do not lack in that area, but I have been keeping an eye out for "learning and educational toys" for school for tot trays and free play. The toys that are for school stay in the school house and are used only for school so that they don't get boring, being played with everyday like their regular toys.
Alright so I found this Marble maze thing, a Mosaic Puzzle, water beads, and blocks. I asked the lady in the toy department if the sign was right before I went up to the register thinking I'm getting half off stuff that's not actually half off. (holding up lines at stores is not fun- bargain or no bargain) She went through each one, telling me what the FINAL price would be and then went to pick up the tinker toys and I said, "oh that's not marked clearance or anything you don't have to check it." She said, "well let me just see", and she did, and told me it was $7.50!!!! I will never tell someone that again! I was so excited to hear that! So she told me to tell them at the register that she said it was that price. Well I get to the register and of course they have to double check... well in the process of trying to find the Lady that helped me the cashier accidentally swipped the tinker can again, it rang up $3.75. I said, "OHHH yes indeed!" The cashier laughed and said, works for me and turned to tell them not to worry about calling the toy girl up. Well she was walking up anyway with another can in which I thought was more tinker toys, and she asked me if I wanted them because they were coming up on her scanner for 10 cents!!! I was like heck yeah I do but wondered why the other can was $3.75, well after looking closer it was Lincoln Logs, which was fine with me Cowboy loves his Lincoln Logs and you know how things get misplaced or they lose a piece here and there. So the Cashier swipes it... it rang up, I kid you not.... 2 cents!!!! Can I get an AMEN? So I am so excited about my "Steals" today- If I would have bought these not on sale I would have paid over $100... So.. why are you still reading and not at Kmart?! Here are some pics of what I got.
